Hudson hits 2 HRs, Kershaw wins again for Dodgers

MILWAUKEE(AP) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers played with Manny and
without him, and still finished the first half of the season
with the best record in baseball.

So what's Joe Torre's grade of his group at the All-Star break?

"Incomplete," the manager said. "That's the only thing I can
give it at this point because the back half, just like in golf
the back nine, is the toughest one to play. We're going to have
to go out there and continue to live up to ourselves."

All-Star Orlando Hudson homered twice, Clayton Kershaw won his
fifth consecutive road start and Los Angeles capped the best
first half in the majors with a 7-4 victory over the Milwaukee
Brewers on Sunday.

Manny Ramirez went 3 for 3 and scored twice to continue his
torrid pace since returning from a 50-game drug suspension,
helping the Dodgers finish a 6-3 road trip for their best start
in 32 years at 56-32.

"Now we're coming into the second half and I think the second
half is a tough one," Ramirez said. "We hope everything goes
well and the main goal is to go to the World Series."

The Dodgers have history on their side.

The 1977 Dodgers were 57-31 after 88 games and 59-33 at the
All-Star break in Tommy Lasorda's first full season as manager,
eventually losing the World Series to the New York Yankees in
six games.

These Dodgers led by Torre seem poised to make a similar run
with Kershaw improving to 4-0 with a microscopic 0.76 ERA in his
last six starts and Ramirez picking up where he left off.

"The main thing I'm worried about is my legs and I'm getting
there day by day, so we've still got three more months to go and
I'm going to get there," the slugger said.

Ramirez doubled in the first, singled in the third, walked in
the fifth and doubled in the seventh. He's 11 for 29 with three
homers, nine RBIs and eight runs in nine games since returning
from the ban.

"He just seems to be locked in," Torre said.

Backup catcher Brad Ausmus also homered, calling it "pure luck,"
and James Loney drove in two runs with two singles.

"One thing you always a have a concern when you're heading
toward the All-Star break is you sort of take it before it gets
here, this ballclub didn't do that," Torre said. "If we win
series, we can't get hurt."

Hudson, who had been in a 3-for-41 slump, homered in the sixth
and eighth. The Dodgers continued their power surge, belting 10
homers in the three-game series after hitting seven in the
previous eight games.

"It was nice, but the main thing was we got a big W to end the
first half, another series win and we'll start it back again on
Thursday," Hudson said.

Staked to a 2-0 lead before he took the mound, Kershaw (7-5)
gave up one run and two hits over six-plus innings. He struck
out four and walked five, increasing his major league-high total
to 59.

"I had some dumb walks," Kershaw said. "If you're going to walk
them, you better not let them score. You've got to bear down
with people on base. I got bailed out a little bit today."

The Brewers, who've tumbled out of the NL Central lead by losing
eight of 11, scored twice in the seventh and eighth, but Hudson
homered in the eighth and Ramon Troncoso got three outs to earn
his fifth save in six chances in place of Jonathan Broxton
(toe).

Troncoso allowed the tying run to come to the plate after
one-out singles by Frank Catalanotto and Jason Kendall. Corey
Hart lined out and Ryan Braun popped up to end it.

Yovani Gallardo (8-7) lost his third straight start, allowing
five runs and six hits in five innings.

"Something mechanically is a little off, so I tried to battle
through it, but it's a good hitting team," Gallardo said.
"Mistakes that I left up in the zone, they put the bat on it."

NOTES: Kershaw ran his scoreless innings streak to 17 before it
ended in the seventh when Mike Cameron scored on Bill Hall's
double off reliever Hiroki Kuroda. ... It was Hudson's fourth
career multihomer game and first since July 31, 2006. ...
Brewers manager Ken Macha presented Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun
and Trevor Hoffman with All-Star jerseys before the game. Since
Hoffman was named on Sunday morning as a replacement for
Broxton, he got a Braun No. 8 jersey, too. ... Brewers SS J.J.
Hardy (shoulder) missed the game.

NLAT MILWAUKEE - SCORING UPDATESOLO HOME RUN BY BRAD AUSMUS (1) TO LEFT WITH 2 OUT IN THE 4TH OFF YOVANI GALLARDO.CURRENT SCORE: LA DODGERS 3, MILWAUKEE 0DUE UP FOR LA DODGERS: C KERSHAW (.160, 0-FOR-1)